Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has decided to evict Posman Books from Grand Central Terminal. They are refusing to renew the local independent bookseller's lease, reports Crain's. Posman's has to be out by December 31.

photo: Crain's

The beloved bookstore's space "will be used as a short-term storage area during the construction of the new eateries planned for Vanderbilt Hall," a new tower to be built. However, the Rite-Aid next door to Posman's will remain in business, untouched by the hand of "progress." Really? Another local bookstore has to die while a national drugstore chain is preserved?

Hey MTA, how about this? Kick out the fucking Rite-Aid and keep the bookstore. New York is losing bookstores left and right. We cannot afford to lose another. Meanwhile, we're drowning in Rite-Aid (and Duane Reade, and Walgreens, CVS--and every other national chain).

"It's very sad for the whole Grand Central community," Posman's vice president told Crain's. "It's shocking." Posman's hopes to find a new location in Grand Central, but alternate spaces are not large enough. The MTA's decision to deny a lease renewal to Posman's, an independent,
long-time, local New York business, is unconscionable. By
doing so, they are contributing to the ongoing cultural death of the
city.

Once again, without protections from the city government, our independent businesses are sitting ducks, while the national chains prevail. How much longer will we tolerate this? How much more do we have to lose before something is done?

12 comments:

Anonymous
said...

How can you not have a bookstore in a transportation hub like Grand Central? So many people are looking for books and other reading material for their commutes. I can't believe the MTA. Why don't they ask riders how they feel about the store offerings inside the terminal before they make stupid decisions like this?

I wish they would leave Vanderbilt Hall alone.I liked GCT a whole lot more before they decided every inch of the place had to filled with places to spend money. There used to be so much open space. No more.

I agree with Anonymous at 11:28 - reading and travel go hand in hand. I can't believe GCS can't support a bookstore. You'd think it would burnish its flagship image. But that's out of date thinking, I guess.

I've been a long time lurker on your blog, and I've been saddened as things have closed over the years...

But brother, this one hits me hard.

Posman has been a respite for me on my travels to and from CT for grad school. It's always been busy, but not overcrowded, and I loved the staff recommendations section they had... so hard to come by nowadays.

Just when I was boasting to friends out of town that a real bookstore of independent stripe actually was allowed to thrive in Midtown - this. Right on the heels of Rizzoli's eviction from the area. This is a real estate brokerage conspiracy to scrub all intellectualism from its idiots-don't-ask-questions marketing philosophy. Just move along, buy lingerie, toothpaste, and phone chargers, coffee, and move on. ...Really discouraging

My parents owned Holiday Wines & Liquors which was across from what is now Posman's. The MTA pushed him out in 1997. Now there is a snack stand there. There has been a book store in the Posman space for at least 40 years. It is very unfortunate that there are no "mom and pop" stores left in GCT.

Agreed that saving a RiteAid in GCT is fairly ridiculous, but shed no tears for The Posman Corporation. Shed them for the lost glorious public space of Vanderbilt Hall next door. Everyone New Yorker has now been evicted from that space. FYI, if you really miss Posman's and it's usual snarky staff, feel free to visit them at 75 Ninth Avenue in Chelsea Market or 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Also, in March, Brookfield Property Partners signed pooooor, poor, Posman"s to a 2,000-square-foot lease at Brookfield Place at 200 Vesey Street in the Financial District. Lets kind in mind who is really suffering here... not Posman's, it's you & me.